A number of armed robbers broke into the home of a Kono (Sierra Leone) area diamond dealer on August 26 at about 3 a.m. Robbers fired shots inside the Koidu home before entering the master bedroom, which is where the dealer kept his safe and conducted trading activity. Sierra Leone’s Awareness Times newspaper reports the dealer resisted the robbers at first, but during the fight the dealer was left with stab wounds to his throat and stomach.
Robbers threatened other family members to prevent them from calling for help. After the robbers made off with an undisclosed amount of diamonds and cash valued in the millions in local currency (1 million = $338,) police were called and arrived quickly. The Times reported that police located the robber’s getaway vehicle in the former compound of the National Diamond Mining Company.
Kono Diamond Dealers Association’s Prince K. Saquee urged the community to stand together and he called upon police to step up security in and around the district. The Times reported that the chairman of the Kono Youth League, Mohamed Jabbie, also condemned the attack and called upon the youth of the district to cooperate with the police in tracking down the robbers.